Search form

Search form

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found a way to extract sugar molecules from plant biomass using a combination of an ionic liquid and dilute acid, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The method, which can yield about the same amount of sugar from biomass as a more costly enzyme-based approach, could reduce the cost of cellulosic ethanol production, the researchers added.

Related Summaries

A team of researchers at the University of Illinois has found a way to remove acetic acid in cellulosic ethanol production using a bioengineered yeast, resulting in a nearly 10% yield increase, according to a report in Nature Communications. The scientists modified the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to prevent buildup of acetic acid, an unwanted byproduct in cellulosic ethanol production.

Though American Process has been around since 1995, only since 2006 has it has been in the biofuels business. Today, the company offers its GreenPower Plus technology, which converts biomass such as wood into sugars, which can then be used for cellulosic ethanol production. American Process also offers is stand-alone AVAP technology, which also converts biomass to sugars. Founder Theodora Retsina said AVAP's advantage is that it "takes any biomass, it is completely feedstock agnostic, and converts all the biomass to fungible intermediate feedstock, which is sugars."

U.S.-based Sweetwater Energy and Danish group BioGasol have agreed to work together on a project aimed at increasing the efficiency of biomass-based sugar production. Sweetwater produces and sells low-cost sugars to refineries that convert the sugars into biofuels and renewable chemicals. "Our two companies have remarkably similar philosophies in that we both believe smaller, decentralized pretreatment and hydrolysis facilities are the key at this stage to making cellulosic biofuels and biochemicals work," said BioGasol CEO Anders Weber.

CleanTech Biofuels and Fiberight have announced plans for a pilot facility in Lawrenceville, Va., that would convert municipal solid waste into feedstock for Fiberight's cellulosic-ethanol plant. The plant would use trash from Chicago to test Fiberight's enzyme-based ethanol-production technology. The facility is expected to begin operation by the end of August.

A pilot test conducted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that high-biomass forage sorghum could be used in cellulosic ethanol production. Sorghum varieties were also found to have a range of basic sugars and structure that could be suitable for multiple biofuel systems. NREL chose two sorghum samples for testing out of the nearly 100 samples provided by National Sorghum Producers.